5 Crazy Things to Know About The Walking Dead’s Norman Reedus

You know Norman Reedus kicks butt as Daryl Dixon on The Walking Dead — and you know he’s just about the only guy who can make an ear necklace look like fall’s must-have trend. But here are five other interesting things to know about the 44-year-old Boondock Saints alum.

1. He Has Many Meaningful Tattoos — But Not One of His Own Name

Norman has several tattoos, including a devil on his arm, a star on his hand, a snake on his leg, demons on his back, and more. He also has the name “Norman” tattooed on his chest, but contrary to some beliefs out there, that’s not a result of self love, it’s for his father. As Norman told Dixons Vixens of his tats, “They all have different meanings. Some names (my dad died — his name was Norman so it’s above my heart) my son Mingus’ name and other stuff.” As you may already know, his 14-year-old son Mingus is with his ex-girlfriend, model Helena Christensen. A while back, Norman was asked which three people he would want to fight beside him during a real zombie apocalypse. He first answered Lucy Liu, then his son Mingus, then Olivia Newton-John. At least Mingus made the top three!

2. He Has a Metal Eye Socket and Four Screws in His Nose

In 2005, Norman was in Germany for the Berlin Film Festival; after leaving an R.E.M. concert, the car he was in was hit by an 18-wheeler. He was thrown through the windshield and seriously injured. He had to have several operations, which included adding four screws in his nose and having his left eye socket replaced with titanium. "My whole head was like hamburger,” Norman told Entertainment Weekly. “It was just gnarly. I thought, 'I'm never going to be an actor again. This is over.” He remained in the hospital for several months. Because he couldn’t speak German, director Christian Alvart acted as his translator. “He sat by my bedside and translated back and forth,” Norman said (via Fielding on Film). “We became good friends. I’d do anything for him.”

3. He's a Crazy Cat Gentleman

Real men love cats! As Norman recently told Us Weekly, “My best friend is my cat.” That BFF is Eye in the Dark, a black cat he won over. As Norman told GQ a while back, "My son wanted a black kitten when he was a kid, and I found it in the East Village in some rescue shelter, but it was born in a box and the guy that was getting rid of it was like, 'You don't want this cat. This cat's never gonna love anyone.' And the first time I saw it, it was like just hissing and scratching everything it saw and now it's like this big, fat, chill cat." Aww! Norman recently told Rolling Stoneacting wasn't his plan in the beginning. So,what was? "Maybe just do some artwork and live in a house in Montauk with a bunch of cats. Just to lead a quiet simple life that had art in it and had my few good friends. Maybe get lucky with a girl." Speaking of girls...

4. Apparently He's a Boob Guy

When sharing 25 things about himself, Norman told Us Weekly, "When I was a kid, 3 was my favorite number because if rotated, it looks like a pair of boobs." Ha! There's that artist's eye in action. Norman was also on MTV's The Big and Best of 2012 live show back in December, and he shared that he was making boobs out of Play-Doh with a girl behind-the-scenes. Still apparently on the boob theme, he shared a little fan story, since people are always sending him bizarre stuff. "Somebody just sent me their implant, so I use it as my phone cradle in my trailer [on The Walking Dead set]." At least he found a use for it! Another fan sent him a stuffed uterus. Over time, he'll have enough female body parts to build his own perfect woman from scratch.

5. He's Obsessed With Flipping People the Bird — and Pranking Andrew Lincoln

Norman and his Walking Dead co-star Andrew Lincoln (Rick Grimes) have maybe our favorite bromance on TV. They not only play close allies on screen, they are apparently almost BFFs in real life. (Sorry, Andy, the cat comes first.) Andy recently talked to Entertainment Weekly about Season 4, and was asked about Norman's obsession with flipping everyone the bird. It’s something Andy has picked up on too, and he shared one of Norman's many other pranks. "Just so you know,” Andy said, “whenever we stay at the Four Seasons hotel when we're in L.A., I go to bed and he always finds out which room I'm in; and then he'll rack up the most astronomical bill, signed with my name, write the number of the room I'm in, and then take a picture flipping me off and send it to me when I'm flying off somewhere else in the morning. That's become a regular thing of his." Classic!